CONNECTS Fellow: Maggs Hanson

Partner

Discipline

Ceramics

Issue

Developmental Disabilities

Program

CCA Connects

“Coming here and interacting with these artists who all working with these different methods and approaches…it’s inspiring. It’s mind-opening. It’s a really comforting environment for me to be in. I really appreciate and benefit from how different it is from the heavy stress of academia.”

– Maggs Hanson, CCA CONNECTS Fellow

Fellowship Description

Maggs Hanson acted as a teaching assistant and mentor to developmentally-disabled artists at NIAD (Nurturing Independence Through Artistic Development) Art Center for two years. Getting to work at NIAD for multiple years allowed her to build strong relationships with the artists and understand their needs and methods. She was also able to expand her role to working in the gallery and curating her own show. She won a Center micro-grant to install a show focusing on mental health that brought outside emerging artists together with NIAD artists.

CONNECTS Qualities

This Connects Fellowship is an example of:

Value of mentorship

Connecting larger Bay Area community

Community impact on student learning

CCA student as role model

Maggs described the effect working at NIAD had on her artistic practice:

“It’s a great space to come from when I’m going into my studio. Cause then I can just be really focused on the pure artistic creation, and not as bogged down in concept or theory or worry about making work for an audience.”

Impact Statement

Site Mentor, Judith Zoon (L) and CCA Fellow, Maggs Hanson (R) share how CONNECTS impact them and their community:

“Maggs serves as a role model for working artists. Her outside point of view is refreshing and she helps the artist articulate their creative experience.”

“This position expanded my experience and familiarity with a diversity of artists outside the art school institution.”